Picross. Alongside overpowering wasabi and the ever-rising cost of underwear, it's one of my most powerful enemies. Having previously shuffled my way through the monochroma fields of Mario's Picross, and also having nearly committed the act of tossing a Nintendo DS out a window after the mania that was Picross 3D, I can say that I am quite well-versed in the mental anguish that is picross. But apparently, I haven't had enough punishment, which I why I have decided to play not one, not two, not even three, but EIGHT more picross games. I must be mad.
Picross NP (which is short for "Nintendo Power", thus making the actual name of the game "Picross Nintendo Power", a rather clumsy title) was a series of eight separate puzzle games available solely through the Nintendo Power service (and no, this is NOT related to the former U.S. gaming magazine of the same name). By visiting Nintendo Power kiosks throughout Japan, users could download new games on a rewritable Super Famicom cartridge (sold separately) for a small fee, as opposed to buying a full-priced new game, and it was theirs to keep until they wanted a new game, in which case they'd go back to the kiosk and overwrite it with something new. Nintendo (and other publishers) used this service from 1997 t 2000, with the final NP game being released on December 1, 2000 (Metal Slader Glory: Director's Cut). Certain popular kiosk games were later re-released in full retail cartridge form.
The Super Famicom already had its own picross game, Mario no Super Picross, which came out in 1995. But this set of eight were exclusive, never released beyond the NP service. Volume 1 came out on April 1, 1999, whereas the final installment saw the light of day on June 1, 2000, more than a year later, while the other six volumes were released every two months.
Oh man, it's total gridlock!
For those unfamiliar, picross is a game based on nonograms, logic puzzles set within a grid — in Picross NP, these grids could be 5x5, 10x10, 15x15, or 20x20. Outside each row and column are numbers that correlate with which squares in the grid should be filled in. Seeing a "1 3" beside a row, for example, tells you that this particular row contains one filled-in square, some space, and a set of 3 consecutive squares also filled in. The puzzle element exists as you do not know which squares are to be filled and which are to be left blank right off the bat. Using all of the available number data beside each row and column helps determine the location of filled-in squares. Once you figure out how the puzzle is, a picture will form in the grid. This is to be done within a 30-minute time period; making errors, however, will decrease your timer exponentially.
Each Picross NP volume offers the same types of puzzles, ranging from beginner level stages (typically smaller overall) to more complex, larger ones. There are even ones where you can vye for the best completion time, rather than compete against a dwindling clock.
So what makes this collection of picross games any different than the rest? Well... not much... EXCEPT the Character Puzzles! Aha! In each volume, there is a set of twelve puzzles whose pictures are based off of Nintendo franchises or individual games. Vol. 1 gets Pokémon-themed puzzles, Vol. 2 gets Yoshi's Story, and so on, with other volumes including series such as Donkey Kong Country, Star Fox 64, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. If you love those characters, as well as puzzle games, then Picross NP would have been your ticket to Excitementville.
At the end of the day, all I can say is that if you liked all the other picross games Nintendo was doling out during the 1990s, you would probably have enjoyed this set as well. Unless Nintendo magically revives this series for their Virtual Console, you'll have to find other ways to experience the many puzzles of Picross NP. But that's NP, right?
